Anesthesiology competencies in undergraduate medical education: a comparative study of curriculum frameworks in Brazil, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVES

Medical education is crucial for meeting local needs and achieving global standards, especially in anesthesiology. Key competencies, such as airway management, mechanical ventilation, and sedation, are essential for managing critically ill patients, maintaining surgical and intensive care services, and preventing deaths from surgically treatable conditions. This study evaluated anesthesiology competencies in the curricula of medical schools in Brazil, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK), highlighting the importance of integrating these skills to prepare for critical situations and support global surgery efforts.

METHODS

Educational frameworks from medical schools in Brazil, Spain, and the UK were analyzed by two independent researchers, who blindly assessed the program structures retrieved from the websites of medical schools and government sources to determine the presence of anesthesiology competency topics, which were organized into the respective disciplines within their academic programs.

RESULTS

A total of 466 medical schools were analyzed, with Brazil accounting for the majority (n = 374), followed by the UK (n = 48) and Spain (n = 44). Most medical schools in Brazil are private (229, 61.2%), whereas public institutions are predominant in Spain (32, 72.7%) and the UK (46, 95.8%). Anesthesiology courses were present in 24 (54.5%) Spanish schools, 128 (34.2%) Brazilian schools, and 9 (18.7%) British schools. Spanish institutions showed the highest incorporation of anesthesiology competencies in their curricula: acute pain management (52.3%), chronic pain management and preoperative evaluation (50.0%), treatment of shock, fluid replacement, and blood transfusion (47.7%), and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (45.5%). In Brazil, the most frequent competencies were preoperative evaluation (17.9%) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (17.4%), while all other competencies were present in fewer than 15% of schools. In the UK, despite 95.8% of institutions having accessible curriculum frameworks, specific anesthesiology competencies were minimally represented. Multidisciplinary teamwork was identified in only 6.3% of institutions, airway management in 4.2%, and the following competencies in just 2.1%: acute and chronic pain management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, monitoring, local anesthesia, treatment of shock, fluid replacement, blood transfusion, and vascular access.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight the need to show more explicitly competencies within undergraduate medical curricula public websites, particularly in Brazil and the UK. This study emphasizes Spain's more organized curricular structure, which facilitates the clearer identification of competencies, including those related to anesthesiology.